Fun Halloween or Earth Day Treat: Dirt Cake!

Happy Earth Day everyone! Today's the day to thank mother nature for every resource we have, and food is perhaps the more important resource the earth provides us. Things have come a long way since the 1970s, and the upcoming, younger generations have a much smaller appreciation for our planet with the dramatic increases in technology. When was the last time you saw your kids appreciating the outdoors and a good old-fashioned meal? You can peak their interest on Earth Day with this fun Dirt Cake Recipe! This recipe is a fun, easy, no-bake version of a classic parfait.

-Thanks to RecipeTips.com for the pic I didn't have time to take myself, lol-

Place oreo cookies in large freezer bag, and smash into crumbs with rolling pin (you could run them in a food processor also if you'd like), and set aside. Cream together cream cheese, sugar, and butter in a large bowl with a stand mixer or hand mixer. In a separate bowl, combine pudding mix and milk until the mix has dissolved, fold in whipped cream/topping until combined. Add liquid mixture to cream mixture and fold together.

Assembly: you can use a few different methods for this. The easiest would be using a 9x13 inch baking pan. Place half of the oreo crumbs as a bottom layer on the pan. Cover first layer with all of the pudding cream mixture. Feel free to add some gummi worms randomly into the cream mixture for a surprise. Add remaining half of oreo cookies on top and place some gummi worms on top, making a few appear to be poking out of the cake. Refridgerate cake for at least 2 hours, or until the cake sets.

You could also use tumbler cups (as I do), and make mini parfaits with the ingredients. This makes it an easier party snack for individuals. If you want to go grand, you could use a clean flower pot or pail and make it parfait style. In this case, you could even add artificial flowers for an added affect. If you'd like to make it a beach sand cake, use nilla wafers instead of oreos, and vanilla pudding mix instead of chocolate. And instead of gummi worms, maybe some gummi bugs.

This sweet treat will get your kids looking forward to every earth day, and bring out your inner child in the process. Don't limit this recipe to just Earth Day, however. Surprise your kids with this recipe on Halloween, Easter, birthdays, and more!